Aftermath
by Cap10
Summary: "You said your injuries were nothing!" "Well guess what?" Kotetus wheezed, "I lied!" Tag for Episode 13. Chapter 7, 'Only five minutes' is up! It can be pretty hard to be a father, a hero, or a simple human, to be all of them can be nearly impossible.
1. Prologue: I Lied!

_**Background**__- A good friend of mine recently sat me down and had me watch Tiger and Bunny. After we had viewed the episode she promptly informed me I now had the responsibility to write her a non-romance Tiger and Bunny story. Thus Aftermath was born. _

_**Thanks and Dedication**__- I need to give a special shout out to my technical Beta Dr. Person. It is always appreciated to have someone one else look over the story to make sure all of your symptoms and treatments are straight. This story is dedicated to the medical clinic at Prudhoe Bay, Alaska for kindly taking care of a medi-evaced scientist who couldn't breathe. _

_**Disclaimer**__-I do not own Tiger and Bunny. If I did, I would be writing episodes instead of fanfiction. Also this is a tag story contains spoilers for episode 13._

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><p><strong>Prologue- "I Lied!"<strong>_  
><em>

Barnaby Brooks Jr. was having mix feelings about life. He had finally destroyed the demon that had haunted his childhood, but still felt empty. He knew who had killed his parents; he just never got the answer of why they had been murdered. There was the very real possibility he never would find the answers because he had just watched the man who knew the answers plummet to his death in a ball of flame. In many ways he was back to square one, but the whole city wanted to celebrate, wanted to believe that he had won because he was the good guy and it was a good story. His hands began to tighten on the handlebar in frustration.

"Um, Bunny? Does this thing go any faster?" Beside him Kotetsu groaned through clenched teeth.

Annoyed Barnaby glanced down at the speedometer. "I am already going ten over the speed limit."

"I really think it would be a good idea to get back to the hospital right about now."

"I highly doubt the conditions of the others have…"

"I think it would be a really good idea to get me back to the hospital right now."

"What?"

"I already told you that my wounds still hurt." Kotetsu swore under his breath as he clutched his ribs. "The stuff Doc Saito gave me is wearing off, and a morphine drip back and a bed are sounding really good right now."

"You said your injuries were nothing!"

"Well guess what?" Kotetus wheezed, "I lied!"

Barnaby finally took the time to get a good look at his partner, and it was true that Kotetus looked bad. His normally tan complexion had paled considerably. "And why didn't you tell me earlier."

"You were busy and it didn't hurt this bad then!" It was starting to dawn on Barnaby that perhaps the odd expression his partner had been wearing while he had been giving TV interviews was not jealousy, but a strong desire to go find somewhere to go lie down, and with the help of some painkillers, sleep. Barnaby was kicking himself for not seeing it sooner.

"They weren't hurting because you were on narcotic pain medication! I can't even figure out why you thought it was a good idea to get out of bed in the first place!"

Kotetsu was quiet for a moment; then he spoke softly. "I couldn't let you fight him alone." Barnaby felt a bit sick at Wild Tigers comment. "I especially couldn't once I figured out his secret. I couldn't let that mad man destroy our city. I couldn't let him hurt anyone else..." Kotetsu curled forward in his seat as a deep hacking cough shook his body. From the corner of Barnaby's eye he could see red staining Tiger's fist, and started to feel a rising swell of panic.

"Tiger?" Barnaby really was staring to panic.

"Bunny… I…" Kotetsu whimper could barely be heard over the whine of the engine. "… I… can't… breathe."

Barnaby leaned into the bike and gunned the engine to the max possible speed.

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><p><em>Virtual cookies for anyone who can diagnose Wild Tiger, the next chapter coming soon.<em>

_Questions, comments, smart aleck remarks, please hit the button below and review. P.S. I do provide sneak previews to those who make meaningful comments. _


	2. Chapter 1: What is going on?

_**Shout Out**__- Thank you so much to everyone who has read and reviewed so far. Wow you are a diverse group from 38 countries different and all sorts of walks of life. I have enjoyed the conversations I have had with some of you and I look forward to hearing from even more of you in the future. To everyone who did review the prologue I really hope you enjoyed the sneak preview._

_**Thanks**__-Thanks again to all of you who took the time out of your day to review, also a very special thank you to my technical beta Dr. Person for keeping my facts straight and my medicine realistic._

_**Disclaimer**__- I do not happen to own Tiger and Bunny, do you really think I would be a 'starving' grad student if I did? _

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><p><strong>Chapter One- "What is going on!"<strong>

When Fire Emblem arrived at the hospital minutes later, the ER was still in chaos. He wasn't quite sure what was going on, but Nathan knew that it had to be bad. Barnaby had left his bike parked on the sidewalk in front of the ER, and apparently had not bothered to wait for the automatic doors to open. He had simply gone through them. Nathan parked as quickly as he could in the parking lot and sprinted into the ER waiting room. Picking through the glass, it only took moments to spot Barnaby. The hero was wedged into a corner, head pressed into his hands, as though he wished to hide from the world and everything in it. Nathan's concern increased exponentially.

"What happened?"

"I don't know. One moment he was fine, the next moment he was coughing up blood and complaining he couldn't breathe. By the time we got here he had passed out and he was turning blue…" Barnaby's green eyes were not fully focusing on the floor. "I knew he was hurt, I just didn't know he was hurt like that, I…I should have seen it sooner."

"Barnaby." When the hero failed to react, Nathan tired to add a bit more force into his voice. "Barnaby look at me." Nathan did his best to position himself between Barnaby's face and the floor, but the hero's eyes still wouldn't focus on him. "Listen to me, we can't change the past. All we can do is move forward. And you are not going forward alone - you have all of us supporting you and Tiger." Out of the corner of his eye he saw Karina and Pao-Lin enter the ER. "Barnaby do you have your keys?"

"I think…I left them in the motorcycle." Barnaby continued to stare at the floor. Nathan rose from his knees and met the two girls halfway across the room.

"What is going on!" Karina's alto was sharp with a mixture accusation and confusion.

"It seems that Tiger managed to hurt himself badly and then failed to inform anyone about it. He passed out in front of Barnaby which shook him badly." Nathan sighed. "Barnaby is new to this, so he really didn't know what to do next. So he panicked. Honestly he panicked just like anyone of us would have done when we were that green."

"So what is next?" Pao-Lin asked.

"First thing we get things organized, Blue Rose can you move the motorcycle? Pao-Lin, we need to get something to help calm Barnaby's nerves. Getting a glass of water or juice would be a good start. I will go talk to the receptionist and see what we can find out about Tiger, as well as an estimate of when we can get Barnaby checked out."

"Do you think he is hurt?" Pao-Lin asked quietly.

"Probably something minor, things like bumps and bruises. But there is the chance he has had a major injury and doesn't even know it yet. Came straight out of an adrenaline rush into the state he is in now. Just look at him. One look at his eyes and you can tell the whole situation has put him into shock." Pao-Lin just looked up at him with her big amber eyes before turning to find a drink dispenser. Nathan turned to his own task.

The receptionist simply gave Fire Emblem a cool glare as he approached. "Hello, my dear Madame. I am Fire Emblem and…."

"I know who you are." The woman was clearly not thrilled at that fact.

"Well then Madame, that simplifies things! Dear Madame, I am sure that you are up to date on what we heroes spent the morning working on." The receptionist gave a noncommittal sound. "Good, I know you are very, very busy, but it would be very helpful to get some information about the condition of Wild Tiger. All of the paperwork allowing us an update should already be in the hospital's computer database. Also, when the doctor is available, we need someone to take a look at Barnaby." This got a raised eyebrow from the receptionist.

"Alright, I will notify the NEXT department they have a patent in the ER. As a non-critical patent he will have to wait until someone becomes available."

"Understood, and thank you Madame." Fire Emblem said with a flamboyant bow.

By the time Nathan returned to the corner, Pao-Lin managed to convince Barnaby to take a sip of the apple juice before she sat at his side and leaned her head against his side. Subconsciously Barnaby wrapped his left arm around the girl. Moments later Karina arrived looking a bit green, but to ease everyone's concern she put on a half hearted smile.

"I am okay." She rubbed her gloved hand across the back of her neck. "It's just that there was just blood splattered across the side car. It was a bit nerve racking."

"Don't worry, Dear, I know it is scary but things will work out all right." Beside him he could hear a paper cup crumple slightly as Barnaby's hand tightened around it. "Kotetsu is too stubborn to let a bump in the road like this keep him down for long."

A contralto voice come over the intercom system "Paging Mr. Brookes and other assorted heroes. Paging Mr. Brookes, please report to the ER receptionist."

"Can we see him?" Barnaby's head shot up, it was the biggest reaction that Nathan had observed in his fellow hero since his arrival. Nathan felt a little guilty about squashing it.

"Barnaby, actually I believe that the nurse is here to tell you it is your turn to get checked out."

"But I am not the one hurt." Barnaby stared at him with those unfocused green eyes again.

"We don't know that for sure, and Handsome, you will not be leaving this hospital until we know for sure."

Nathan placed his hand gently on his fellow hero's arm, before dragging him to his feet. There was a nurse standing at the double doors between waiting area and the actual ER. She briskly showed them through the doors and down the hall on the right. Even though the ER was relatively empty, it was only 10:30 am in a city under lockdown, they could hear a commotion to the left. From the tone of voice, the patient was clearly a mess.

"Henderson what is wrong?"

"He has a blood pH of 7.15!"

"What? Are you sure?"

"Lab said they ran it twice."

"This can't just be respiratory acidosis! We have got to have some hypoperfusion or some metabolic acidosis going on!"

"Stay calm. Remember we are working with a NEXT here. We can't expect everything to be the same results that you would get in a normal human. That said, his blood pH are too low and blood CO2 levels are way too high. Even for just after 100%."

There was only two, known NEXT in the city who could achieve 100%. Before Nathan could react, Barnaby was sprinting back down the hall. Then, as suddenly as Barnaby had began to run, he stopped which almost caused Fire Emblem to slam into him. Barnaby stood stock still at the entrance of the curtained off area, the harsh florescent light making the dents and scorch marks stand stark against his the suits exterior. Nathan rounded his fellow hero, just in time to see a harried looking intern glare at them.

"Prior to his sneaking out of the hospital, we had pushed crystalloid fluids for almost 8 hours to correct for the hypovolemia, if we push any more we are going to push him over into pulmonary edema!"

"We need to get fluid to buffer the acidosis. The CO2 in his blood and tissues will kill him just as fast as edema could." Barnaby flinched visibility at the word 'kill'.

"But the chest x-rays indicate there is no way that his left lung can take the air volumes it would take to compensate for the acidosis. We will injure the lung further."

"We don't have much of a choice about intubation, but we can do our best to minimize further damage Call up to the ICU…we are going need two of the Jet Ventilators prepped for when we send him up. "

"Robinson, get me two pediatric endotrachial tubes!"

Barnaby was mesmerized, his brain blocked out the technical mutterings of the medical staff. He didn't budge as Robinson pushed past him. He just stared at his partner lying limply across the table striped of everything but a sheet and wired up like a Christmas tree. There were tubes and needles and blood. And he was terrified.

"Your name is Barnaby, isn't it." Barnaby barely nodded. "Barnaby, son, we need you to move so we can get him moved up to the ICU." He moved, but just barely enough as the swarm of doctors, interns, and nurses wheeled his partner down the hall to the elevator.

"What is going on? What is wrong?" Barnaby said almost to himself.

"According to the x-ray's, he has severe pulmonary contusions," Barnaby gave the doctor, who still stood beside him, a pretty good impression of a deer trapped in the headlights of an oncoming semi, so Dr. Lewis elaborated. "Basically Mr. Tiger, he has badly bruised lungs. The bruises are causing his lungs to lose their ability to absorb oxygen. In addition to low oxygen absorption, the body has lost a lot of its ability to flush out CO2. Basically his body has too much CO2 and can't flush it out, so we are going to help your partner breath by placing him on a specialized type of ventilator that will not hurt his lungs."

"He is going to be okay, right?"

"Once we get him on the vent and measure his response to it we will have a better idea. That said, most patients respond very well to this type of treatment. Mr. Tiger was severely injured, was very healthy before the incident. That significantly raises his chances."

"Can I see him?"

"Not at the moment. Right now the doctors are concentrating on stabilization. It would be best to stay out of their way for the time being, but I promise that we will let you know about any major developments." The Dr. Lewis took a good look at Barnaby and instantly realized that the younger man was walking on eggshells. "But while you wait, there is something you can do to help."

"Anything." Barnaby cocked his head to one side.

"We still do not fully understand the nature of Jake's attacks, nor the full medical implication of it. Because of this we want to run a battery of medical tests on every person who fought Jake. Hopefully it will help us create a better treatment plan for Mr. Tiger. We also need to make sure that no one else will have a reaction as severe as Mr. Tiger's."

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><p>Barnaby's tests took decades…at least that is what it felt like to Nathan. The skin tight spandex uniform he was wearing had been designed for style, speed, mobility, and protection. Long term comfort had been a very low priority. The plastic chairs that were lined up along the outside of the examination room were also clearly not designed for the comfort of the person sitting in them. The spandex was currently sticking to the fake leather cushion. He was even beginning to wish he hadn't sent the two girls up stairs to the NEXT wing of the hospital to check in with the others. If they were here, he would at least have someone to talk to. Everyone who walked by took one look at his bright red get up and quickly ran off. He was beginning to wonder if he should sneak off for a moment and buy a magazine or something at the hospital gift shop, when exam room finally opened.<p>

"Alright Mr. Fire Emblem, you can come back in now." Dr. Rebecca Peterson, one of the more type A personalities on the hospital's NEXT research staff had finally opened the door. "Today's tests are done and the labs look clean."

"That is good isn't it?" Barnaby said, still seated on the exam table. He had changed out of his armor and body suit into a pair of hospital scrubs. A large ice bag was slipped under his left thigh.

"Very good, actually, all your oxygen and CO2 levels, as well as, your blood pressures are now within normal range. But that doesn't mean we know you have completely dodged the bullet. If you have any trouble breathing, any at all, I want you to immediately call us and report to the ER. Do I make myself clear?" The woman's blue eyes were sharp. "Now, I am going to be giving you some Ibuprofen and crutches for the pulled hamstring. You will use both. Lastly I am prescribing a full 8 hours of sleep."

"Okay." The word seemed more like an automatic response then an actual agreement.

"I know you are a bachelor, but given the state of your nerves I would prefer that you stay the night with someone." She put her hand up to quiet Barnaby before he had a chance to say a word. "Just in case your lungs start giving you trouble. If you decide to stop breathing on us, I would prefer to know about it soon enough to do something about it. If you would like I can call Hero-TV…I am sure they have an intern or someone they can put on nurse duty."

"That will not be necessary, Dr. Peterson. I would be delighted to play nurse for him!" Nathan spoke up. Barnaby just barely managed to choke off a groan.

The doctor ignored Barnaby's reaction, and handed Nathan a long green duffle bag. "This is your basic oxygen tank and mask set up. Do you know how to use it?" Nathan nodded. "Good. If he starts having trouble breathing, don't hesitate to use it."

"Yes, doctor." Nathan was finally feeling as though he was useful. It was the first time since he had arrived at the hospital.

"I am going to stay here." Barnaby's voice was quiet, but held a note of defiance.

"No you are not." Dr. Peterson stated flatly.

"But." The note of defiance was dying fast.

"I do not except 'buts' as an excuse."

"Tiger is _my_ partner. He got into this mess because I already abandoned him once in the last 24 hours."

"Barnaby, you are on crutches, you are exhausted, and you're an emotional mess. You are not going to help Tiger by driving yourself to collapse." It was a low blow, but Nathan didn't really care. Barnaby was a train wreck at the moment.

"But…" The argument was tired and the exhaustion made it almost seemed half hearted.

"You are going home, and you are going to sleep." Sparks of flame could be seen in Nathan's glare. "There are eight heroes in the city. I will make sure that one of us stays with Tiger every moment the doctor will allow it, but you are going home."

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><p>The drive back to the Barnaby's apartment was surprisingly quiet, but that was primarily because Barnaby was halfway between sleep and being a zombie. Once through the door of his apartment, he immediately crawled into bed, not even bothering to change out of the scrubs he had been given at the hospital. With Barnaby's breathing now slowed in sleep, Nathan went to the lonely desk in the living room. He dialed one of the few numbers he had memorized off of the top of his head. Within seconds the image of a rather plain woman with chin length brown hair appeared on the screen.<p>

"Hello, Carolyn."

"_Mr. Seymour, you do realize that I got off work over an hour ago?"_

"Yes I do Carolyn, dear, and I wouldn't have called you if I didn't need you."

"_Does this have to do with an argument with one of your boyfriends, because I am not going to help you..."_

"I promise my requests will be strictly work related. As a result of that dreadful string of terrorist attacks, I currently need to stay at the house of a friend. Unfortunately, said friend is neither my size nor has my sense of fashion, which leaves me in a real need for a few changes of clothes. Also said friend's cupboard is frightfully bare, and I also need to pick up John, Keith's dog, at the doggie daycare, because Keith is stuck spending another night in the hospital. That said, I probably shouldn't leave the friend alone at the moment."

"_Which is why you are having me do all your errands."_ The secretary said flatly.

"Exactly. Thank you Carolyn, you are such a dear. I am staying the night at Barnaby's house at…" Before Nathan could give the address Carolyn cut in.

"_You're not corrupting the boy are you?"_ His secretary asked acidly.

"Of course not." Nathan said with offence in his voice. "Some other time I might consider it, but the kid may have just lost his partner. He is an emotional wreck and is physically exhausted. He isn't in any state to take care of himself…much less to be corrupted! There is no way that a friend would make him spend the night alone after all he has been through today."

Nathan hung up the phone, settled back into the desk chair, and looked out the floor to ceiling windows to the cityscape below. It wasn't even 7 in the evening. It was going to be a long night.

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><p><em>Hello reader, you have reached the end of the chapter, but now see a pretty little button. Please push it and give me a review. It convinces me to write and post chapters far sooner then I planned. Plus I give out virtual cookies! Also here is new diagnosis challenge: What disorder is Barnaby exhibiting?<em>

_**Medical Term of the Week- **__Acidosis. Definition-A drop in the body's pH (usually the blood's plasma) below 7.35. The drop is often related to excess CO__2__ in the body but can also be linked to accumulation of other acid residues such as urea. Symptoms- Pretty good range of possible symptoms from headache and nausea, to seizures, coma, arrhythmia, and death. Example-Tiger has acidosis caused by reduced blood volume, reduced respiration, and increased cellular metabolism._


	3. Chapter 2: Let them sleep

_**Author's note**__- I attempt to post new chapters midweek, as you can tell that didn't happen this week. The reasons are complicated and involve work, a migraine, and a missed flight from China (I am just glad I wasn't the one who was actually trapped at the airport, I just got to deal with aftermath stuff), but all is now okay and I can finally post. Also, you may be interested to note that because of the hectic schedule of the past week this chapter was literally written in 100 word segments that I stitched together. The one thing all of those segments had in common was the fact I used Feather Moon by Vienna Teng as the soundtrack when I wrote. It is a pretty good song for setting the mood for Blue Rose's point of view._

_**Shout out**__- To all of my amazing readers and reviewers. I need to make a special shout out to Ruby-Dream for not only diagnosing Barnaby correctly, but also giving the correct medical term for his condition Acute Stress Disorder. A few of other reviewers (Atlaus, Ichihara-Mina, and Uchiacutie) correctly identified the symptoms and used the layman's term of shock. And this week I need to give an extra special thank you to my Beta Dr. Person for reading over the chapter even though they had to deal with travel and work chaos._

_**Disclaimer**__- Honestly, if I owned Tiger and Bunny do you really think I would be spending 8 hours a day writing a thesis? Nope. But I don't own it, so here I am._

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><p><strong>Chapter 2- "Let them Sleep."<strong>

Once she had found the hospital's main atrium, Blue Rose didn't even need directions. She had memorized the way to the NEXT wing of the hospital long ago. After all, she had walked these walls more times than she cared to count. She had first come here three weeks after she had turned twelve, two days after she had nearly frozen her childhood crush to death. It had been an accident, but it had destroyed the relationship (as well as her confidence). As soon as the boy was stable, her parents had made an appointment with the specialists at Saint Thomas More Hospital.

Saint Thomas More was not the largest hospital in Sternbild City, nor was it the most structurally impressive, but it was the most specialized. Most of the hospital's innovation, research, and funding was focused on understand the genetic shifts within the NEXT population. It was the only hospital in the region that had a medical team dedicated to the treatment of NEXT disorders. Glancing at the idealized paintings of men and women manipulating the elements of the world lining the main hall, Blue Rose was reminded just how diverse those NEXT abilities and disorders could be.

The current statistics indicated that elemental powers were more common among women. But her ability was relatively unique. She could crystallize water into ice, and she not simply limited to standing water. She could use the high humidity of the Sternbild City's coastal climate to form ice through the process of deposition. The researchers were not quite sure how she did it, but their latest hypothesis was that she was capable of manipulating the water's triple point. The team of researchers had written a landmark paper about it, unfortunately Blue Rose still didn't have a clue what they were talking about. Perhaps someday she would…if she bothered to pay more attention in science class.

Karina had reached the end of the main hallway. From here she could take the elevator, but instead she took the stairs, she needed the time think. The stairwell was deserted. The only sounds were the click of her high heels against the concrete and the thud of her heart in her own ears.

Things had changed in Blue Roses life when she had turned 16. One of the Heroes from Hero TV retired, and the company had decided that they needed another powerful, sexy woman to take her place. So instead of getting a car for her birthday like so many of her peers, she had gotten an alter ego instead. From that point, her ability to manipulate ice became the controlling factor of her life.

Karina was partially out of breath when she finally reaches the ninth and highest level of the wing. After taking two lefts and a right, she enters a door labeled 'Authorized Personal Only'. No one stops her as she enters…this is a domain that is dedicated to the heroes. It only contains a few rooms, mostly exam rooms, labs, and offices, but the location could not be found on any map of the hospital. True, basically the entire hospital staff knew where it was, but the illusion of privacy was one of the few things that the hospital's research staff could offer the heroes.

"Let's watch another episode!" Even from outside the recovery room, Sky High's tenor sounded slightly loopy.

"But they are sooo old and cheesy!" Origami sounded a bit frustrated and perhaps a bit bored.

"Hey what are you calling old?" Blue Rose heard Rock Bison grumble.

"If you don't like Dragnet, could we start watching Adam-12?" It was hard to tell if Sky High's upbeat tone was caused by his head injury, some bizarre medication reaction or his actual personality.

"No more ancient TV shows. No one talks like that anymore. In fact, no one acts like that anymore either." Ivan obviously was pouting.

"Except for Keith." Antonio muttered under his breath before speaking to the room in general. "Sky High, why don't you let the kid choose the next movie. It is not like you can watch your classic cop shows that intently, you are still seeing double."

"But Origami keeps on falling asleep…" The tone of voice made it extremely clear Sky High was trying to use his puppy dog look. It was an expression that Blue Rose always thought looked ridiculous on a man his age.

Blue Rose quietly opened the door and entered the recovery room. Around her she could hear all commotion in the room cease. When she finally looked up from her boots, it was pretty clear that the three guys were somewhat shocked by her appearance. The dominatrix Blue Rose wasn't suppose to cry.

"Blue Rose what is going on?" It was Origami Cyclone who spoke first. For one of the first time in her life Karina was didn't know what to say to her fellow heroes. Her mind was completely blank, as she quietly tried to blink back her traitor tears.

"Karina-san?" Origami asked in a quieter tone.

Karina closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then looked levelly at three heroes in the recovery room. "I don't really know. On the way back to the hospital, Tiger started coughing up blood and then passed out. The doctors are currently trying to get him stable in the NEXT ICU."

"What!" Keith almost shouted. Antonio just had an 'I told you so, but I really, really wish I would have been wrong' look on his face.

"Fire Emblem mentioned something about bruised lungs or something like that. The doctors' said he got them last night during the fight with Jake. Apparently Tiger already had warning signs he was going to get sick like that and the doctors' were really upset that he left when he was still in serious condition. I overheard one say that he…Tiger…he could die."

"Oh my…" Ivan's voice trailed off.

"But he said he was fine." Keith's words hung in the silences. The full implication of Tiger leaving that morning had obviously not sunk in.

The hollow silence was shattered when Kotetsu phone cell phone rang from the midst of the personal belongings he had left in the recovery room. Everyone froze. After a few more rings, Sky High gingerly picked up the phone and answered it.

"_Hello…Dad?"_

Keith's eyes first widened, then he placed his hand over the receiver. "I believe that it is his daughter on the phone."

"Well don't just stand there, say something to her!" Blue Rose looked Sky High as though he had lost several dozen IQ points when he had been flung into the stadium wall.

Keith switched the cell to speaker phone then asked tentatively. "Hello?"

"_Who are you? Why do you have my dad's cell phone?"_ The kids voice was starting to sound panicked over the phone

Keith cleared his throat and spoke in the same tone he used for TV interviews. "I am Keith, I work with Wil…your father."

"_Okay. Can hand the phone over to my Dad?" _Kaeda's voice sounded a bit confused.

"That might be a bit difficult…" It was clear that Keith was floundering. After all, he was placed in a position where he couldn't just thank everyone repeatedly.

At this point Karina grabbed the phone. "Hi Sweetie, my name is Karina. Your father is currently unavailable at the moment he was in an accident and…"

"_What happened to my Dad!"_ The nine year old girl on the other side of the phone was in tears.

"To be honest we do not fully know." Karina grimaced as the child burst into more sobs. "But he is at the hospital and I know the doctors are taking really, really good care of him."

"Karina, you are making things worse!" Antonio had managed to get himself out of bed and limp over.

"But…" Blue Rose started, but before she could put up an argument he had swiped the phone away from her.

"Kaede, this is Uncle Antonio. I am at the hospital keeping an eye on your Dad. I am going to make sure that he comes through okay?"

"'_Kay."_ The Kaede snuffled over the phone before dropping into sobs again.

"Kaede, honey, it is okay." As Antonio did his best to sooth the nine year old, he was grateful that he was talking to his best friend's kid over a cell phone and not a video phone. He was pretty sure that one look at him would convince Kaede that her Dad was in trouble. After all her indestructible 'Uncle' was in hospital gown and a cervical collar.

"_But it is not okay. I was mad at Daddy because he didn't come home. I know it was because of the bridge, and the bad guys, and stuff but it still hurt that he said he couldn't come. But then he didn't call last night, but I didn't worry because I was still mad, but when he still didn't call this morning so I got kind of scared. I thought he was mad at me for getting mad at him, but I guess that isn't right because now you are telling me he got really hurt? And, hurt bad enough that he can't call is worse than not calling because he is mad, isn't it?"_

"No it is not a worse thing, because your Father is going to get better really soon. And I promise that he is not mad at you. I don't think that Kotetsu could ever be mad at his little girl. He loves you too much for that."

"_I not, sniffle, that, sniffle, little anymore."_ Kaede degenerated into tears again.

"I know you aren't, Sweetie, but that still doesn't change the fact your father loves you very much." The intensity of sobs on the other end of the phone began to quiet. Then after a few minutes of Antonio making soothing sounds into the phone they stopped all together.

"_You aren't going to leave my father alone Uncle Antonio?"_

"No I am not. I am going to make sure he has someone with him."

"_Good because…" _Kaede paused to blow her nose _"because Daddy could get scared if he didn't have anyone there."_

"We wouldn't want him to get scared would we?" Antonio had to smile at the child's innocence, he had seen Kotetsu scared before, but the only times that happened was when someone else was in danger. He tended to shrug off his own risks. "But you are going to have to be brave young lady, too. The last thing you father would want is for you to be scared."

"_I will be brave."_

Antonio took a deep breath before he asked the next question. "Kaede can you put your grandmother on the line? It would be a good idea for me to take to her as well."

* * *

><p>The waiting room for the ICU smelled like ozone. It was a scent that Pao-Lin always gave off when she was nervous or scared. It was a scent that Blue Rose had started to get used to. She did share a locker room with an Electricity NEXT, after all. Pao-Lin had changed into her yellow jumpsuit, but her eyes were still just a little bit puffy and there were a few signs that tear marks had recently streaked her cheeks. Her short hair looked like someone had tried to inflate it, but that was due to the static electricity field she tended to subconsciously collect when she was nervous.<p>

At times like these, Karina was reminded just how young the fellow female was. She was only 14. When Karina had been that age, her biggest worries were about tests, the latest fashions, and her most recent crush on a TV star. Blue Rose could tell that Pao-Lin had been forced to grow up fast when she became a hero. She didn't envy the girl.

"Were you okay holding down the fort alone?" Karina asked softly, as she straightened her street clothes.

"Oh, I was far from alone. There is a nurse who keeps coming by every 45 minutes like clockwork. She says she has to 'make sure I am okay.'" Pao-Lin didn't look up from her book, but Karina noticed a note of annoyance in her voice.

"It can't be that bad, can it?" Blue Rose commented as she collapsed into the chair beside Dragon Kid.

"She keeps on trying to convince me to make 'friends' with the child physiologist." Pao-Lin rolled her eyes before putting a bookmark in the copy of 'Johnny and the Bomb' she had been reading. "I think she is nuts."

"What makes you say that?" Karina asked as she rubbed her ankle. She was starting to regret taking all of those stairs. She was use to walking around in 3 inch heels, but 9 flights of stairs would make any women's feet ache.

"She keeps on muttering under her breath about how I am such a poor child to be experiencing such a trauma. And that I was lying to myself about my emotions and need to grieve." Pao-Lin threw up her hands in frustration. "I still can't figure out what I need to grieve for. Last time I checked, no one we cared about died." That was just Pao-Lin, Karina reflected. She did kind of talk like a robot sometimes, well most of the time. She was blunt, to the point, with a voice that was often void of the expected emotion. The nurse probably misinterpreted that robotic bluntness. "Yes, I am upset about what happened. Yes, I even cried a little. But honestly the world is not coming to an end."

Blue Rose nodded in understanding. Most adults never seemed to understand that they had already seen the worst scum the megacity had to offer. They were faced with robbery and domestic disputes, assaults and sometimes even murder. The murders and sexual assaults still turned her stomach, but she had learned to keep composed long enough that she didn't puke on screen.

"You will have to forgive her; she probably doesn't know you are a hero."

"I don't think that would change the busy body's opinion much." Pao-Lin rolled her eyes again before opening her book to the place she had left off.

* * *

><p>"Linny, you never told me you had a sister?"<p>

Pao-Lin simply looked Karina, then gave an exaggerated roll of her eyes. It was the first time that Rose had met 'the Nurse,' and she already had a strong desire to deck her. The nurse managed to remain oblivious to their reactions.

"Oh, you two are shy. How cute?" The nurse wasn't quite old enough to look like a grandmother, but that didn't stop her from trying to treat them as though they were 4 year old grandchildren. "When are your parents getting here, dears?"

"They are not coming." Pao-Lin blurted out.

"But we really should call your parents." The nurse replied in a continued tone of concern.

"I am sorry Nurse, but I am 18 and we do have permission from the doctor's to stay." Then Karina added almost as an afterthought. "Honestly there is no one else we can call, and it is not like we would sleep much tonight even if we were at home, so we might as well stay…we feel more useful being nearby."

"Oh poor dear." The nurse fussed over them for a few more minutes before 'checking' on the other people in the waiting area. Karina and Pao-Lin had a feeling the nurse was currently asking the elderly couple across the room to keep an eye on the 'poor dears.' The two strangers were alternating glances at the nurse, at each other, and at the two heroes. Karina did her best to avoid their eyes.

"Do you think Barnaby will be okay? I mean he really looked scary today." Beside her, Pao-Lin was starting to look uncomfortable. She was the type who could deal with blood without a second thought, but emotion was out of her element.

Blue Rose nodded. "Bunny's tough. He'll be just fine."

But inside she doubted her own words. Karina had seen those types of eyes in the people she rescued. People whose minds had partially shut down when they had been placed in a situation that was too much for their brains to handle. The docs' called it Acute Stress Disorder; pretty much everyone else called it shock.

"Bunny will be fine." Karina said again, as she placed a hand on Pao-Lin on shoulder. Then to comfort herself, she added. "And if he isn't okay, he always has Tiger to knock some sense into him."

* * *

><p>People came, and people went.<p>

A doctor had gently explained to the two girls that Tiger was in a real mess, but if he made it through the night his chances of making a full recovery was good. A new nurses shift had began and the nurse had been replaced by a young woman named Katy who believed in giving the hero's some space.

In addition to the medical staff there had been a few people from the TV network who had come by. Karina's and Poa-Lin's managers had left the some necessary supplies the two had requested. Agnes tried to convince them to smuggle in a video camera to get footage of the wounded hero. Even Ivan actually tried to come down and check on them, but he didn't get off the ninth floor. According to Sky High, he did an amazing job impersonating the nurse; unfortunately he never was quite as good at imitating woman…and he was caught by the nurse he was trying to impersonate. Apparently Origami was still getting lectured by that same nurse on why they didn't need a second 'Wild Tiger' in the group.

As the night wore on, the visits slowed. That left Karina time to think, and the last thing she wanted to do right now was reflect on why she was here. So she glanced around the room. The waiting room had a series of small windows that bordered the wall. They were there in a desperate attempt to make the space seem more 'cheerful', instead it made Karina feel as though she was in jail. No she took that back, the chairs in jail would have to be more comfortable…there were rules about how you had to treat prisoners…and these chairs were so uncomfortable that they would probably be considered devises of torture. Karina looked up at the clock. It was a quarter to midnight. The last meal she had eaten was breakfast. No wonder she was getting a headache.

"You hungry?" Karina stretched.

"Kind of." Pao-Lin's stomach growled indicating she was more than a little hungry.

"What do you want?"

"Food." Beside her Pao-Lin continued doodling circles on a note pad.

In the end they decided to just go for the fastest thing available. With the hospital cafeteria closed for the evening, which left pizza…and they delivered.

* * *

><p>45 minutes later, the pizza was gone and the two girls had discussed several very deep and philosophical topics - such as who was the hottest fictional vampire, who would win in a fight - Tiger or Bunny, and whose manager hero was worse. Pao-Lin had also determined that Karina was not allowed to order dinner again. Pizza was fine every once in a while, but a real dinner involved chopsticks. Pao-Lin had been so emphatic about the last point, that Karina couldn't help dissolving into a fit of giggles. But with the food eaten, the conversation had drifted into bored silences. At that point Karina grudgingly opened the backpack her agent had dropped off and started pulling out textbooks. Beside her Pao-Lin had started playing with her bubble gum.<p>

"Don't you have homework?" The older girl's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"I got it done hours ago." Pao-Lin looked up at Blue Rose, after placed her chin on the arm rest.

"Want to help me with mine?" Karina asked hopefully.

"I am bored." Dragon Kid turned back around and continued to play with her gum. "But I am not that desperate."

It wasn't fair, Karina reflected. It didn't matter that they had just save the city. It didn't matter that they had save hundreds of thousands of lives, defeated a maniacal mad man, or that they were sitting in an ICU waiting room to learn if a close friend would survive the night. It was still a school night, and Karina still had math due tomorrow.

* * *

><p>When dawn's fingers stretched across the sky, Karina's algebra book was still open, but it was being used as a pillow. Beside her Pao-Lin was curled up on the chair doing a fair impression of a cat. Sometime during the night someone had found some blankets to drape across the two of them. Sky High was about to shake them awake to tell them that the doctors had finally gotten Kotetus stabilized, but Ivan simply put a hand on his arm.<p>

"Let them sleep. They need it."

So the two heroes took their place in the ICU waiting room, and kept watch a protective watch over their fellows.

* * *

><p><em><strong>In Closing<strong>__- It is the end of another chapter. I hope you enjoyed it, that it was worth the wait, and that you will join me next week when Barnaby finally bothers to wake up. Also, the review button is still here today. If you really like the story press it and let me know what you liked. If you didn't like it press it and tell me how to improve. If you have questions about the story ot the medical stuff in it, then the button is your friend. Also I am welcoming requests for the medical term of the week._

_**Medical Term of the Week**__- Medically Stable. Definition-The patient is no longer undergoing major changes in blood chemistry, organ function, or mental state. Example-In the US the term stable is often tacked onto a patient's condition ranking. An example of this is the term Critical but Stable. That indicates that the person has a life threatening illness or injury, but there condition is no longer worsening. _


	4. Chapter 3: In blunt terms

_**Shout Out-**__ Thanks for everyone who read, reviewed, and a very special thanks to my Beta Dr. Person. All of you give this story purpose._

_**Disclaimer**__- Still do not own Tiger and Bunny, though I am looking forward to the first chapter of the manga to come out next month._

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><p><strong>Chapter 3- "In Blunt Terms"<strong>_  
><em>

Barnaby awoke to something warm and wet being dragged across his face.

"Down Poochy-chan, we don't want to wake up…" Nathan was talking directly to the John's, Keith's dog, face as he ruffled his ears. Then he glanced up. "Ah, Handsome, it appears I did not intervene in time. Do you feel up to eating something?"

At first Barnaby just felt out of place. He considered the possibility that he was simply slipping from one dream to another. After all he didn't own a dog, and he wasn't the type to actually invite Nathan home for the night. Suddenly memories rushed back. The battle with Jake, the race to the hospital, Tiger limp on the ER table, blood. Barnaby felt his eyes snap open in panic.

"Tiger?" Barnaby was terrified of the possible answer.

Though he failed to make eye contact with Barnaby, Nathan's was remarkably relaxed when he answered. "According to Sky High, he is doing much better. The doctors managed to get him stabilized in the ICU late last night. And before you ask, yes they do allow visitors, and yes you are going visit just as soon as you have cleaned up and eaten something. Which brings me back to the original question…do you feel up to eating something?"

The answer was no, he didn't feel like eating anything. On a good day Barnaby was not a breakfast person. Today he just felt nauseous, but he knew that the condition of his stomach wasn't going to stop Nathan from insisting that he eat. So Barnaby played along.

"I think I could keep something light down."

"Good!" Nathan clasped his hands together and smiled. "Now go shower first and when you are done I will be in the kitchen with Poochy-chan. I am sure that I can whip you up something delightful for breakfast. I wasn't sure what you liked so I had my secretary bring a bit of everything."

He wasn't kidding. By the time Barnaby finished showering and dressing, his stomach was beginning to growl. He walked into his small kitchen and discovered that it was covered with various types of food items from yogurt to a basket of fresh fruit, bacon and eggs to bagels and cream cheese. Nathan never did anything without a full production.

As Barnaby sat down to a strong cup of coffee, Nathan did his best to strike up a conversation. "Last night I noticed an extreme lack of food in your apartment. It is true that you have a great taste in wine, but the quality of the wine is almost wasted if you don't at least have equally good cheese and other treats to go with it." Nathan put his hand together with a look of delight. "This is why I am taking you food shopping later in the day. You need to get food so you can rebuild your strength, and I need to make my last boyfriend jealous for breaking my heart."

"So you want to use me to get revenge." Barnaby rubbed his hand across his eyes before he took another gulp of coffee. It was too hot, but his body needed the caffeine too much to care. Even though he had gotten plenty of sleep last night, his eyes still felt like there was sand paper under the lids. They were probably also pretty red, but Nathan didn't seem to notice.

"Revenge, no. Jealousy, yes." Nathan gave a smug smile as he bit into a French pastry, one stuffed with strawberries and whip cream. "By the way, your apartment has very good bones, though is a bit lacking when it comes to décor. I have some very good friends who are interior designers and I am sure would love to help spruce things up."

* * *

><p>The trip to the hospital was uneventful. Barnaby calmly sat in the passenger seat debating on whether he should hug his partner or kill him on sight for scaring him so badly. Nathan more than made up for his silence. He chattered way about the latest fashion in Paris, the new restaurant he had gone to last week, and his company's current gossip. Barnaby found the mindless blathering to be kind of soothing; in fact it almost lolled him back to sleep. But before he could drift off, Nathan stopped the car to drop John off at the doggy salon.<p>

The next stop was the hospital. Barnaby had never realized that the main entrance for visitors and out-patient services was magnificent; he had always been in to much of a hurry or simply taken a side entrance. It was graced by a curving walkway lined with planters. In the center there was a slightly larger than life size statue of a woman. Her skirts where billowing around her with jets of water giving the statue an illusion of movement. He was so absorbed by the sight that it took a moment for Barnaby to realize that Nathan had pulled to a stop in the round about. From the look of amusement on his fellow hero's face, they had been stopped for at least a few minutes.

Once Barnaby had untangled himself from the seat belt and retrieved his crutches, Nathan leaned out of the window. "Now, Handsome, you can go straight up the ICU if you would like or you can wait for me in the main lobby while I park the car."

"I think I will wait in the lobby."

Barnaby was embarrassed that he didn't know the way through the NEXT wing nearly as well as Fire Emblem. It wasn't that he had never been shown. He had gone that way two days before when the entire group had rushed to by Origami's side. The problem was he had been so focused on his own self loathing and his hated for Tiger that he hadn't paid attention to how they got there.

The lobby was designed to allow a visitor to carry their sense of awe from the courtyard in with them. Part of the ceiling and two walls were made of cut stained glass causing room to be filled with light and color. The room was designed to be open, which Barnaby had decided was a distinct disadvantage right now. He was the hero of the hour, but he really didn't want to deal with his adoring public at the right now. Subconsciously he managed to wander into the darkest corner of the room and settle into a chair. He then pretended to be asleep. People still saw him, he could feel their eyes on him, but at least they gave him some space.

True to his world Nathan only took a few minutes to park the car and meet him in the lobby. As they silently walked through the now lively hallways, Barnaby noticed that Nathan seemed to be doing his best to slow his pace so he could keep up with him. Barnaby's cheeks burned with shame and he did his best to quicken his pace, but someone can only go so fast when they are new to crutches. As they went deeper into the NEXT wing, Barnaby realized that they had bypassed every desk so far. Finally the questions Barnaby had been nursing bubbled up.

"Don't we need to get clearance for a visit like this?"

"Well, you see, as fellow hero's we have already completed enough paperwork tying us all together that we are practically each other's next of kin under the law. Though, if that is true, partners must practically be like being a couple under the emergency protocols." Barnaby didn't particularly like the dreamy look in Nathan's eyes when he made that comment.

"So this has happened enough to require a protocol?"

"Yes and no." Nathan looked as though he really didn't want to provide additional information but knew he had to anyway. "Hero's get scrapes and bruises all of the time, but every once in a while someone gets really hurt. Sometimes heroes die on the job."

"I remember the last that happened. It was all over the news. Wasn't it a minor guy…a Giant Wave or something?"

"Big Wave actually. But what the news didn't talk about was the fact that Rain Willow committed suicide nine days after she officially quit, two weeks after Big Wave died. In hindsight, we are pretty sure the two were in some type of relationship. But they hid it well. No one realized what was going on until it was too late for both of them."

Nathan's eyes seemed to harden a moment in grief, then his face softened and the corners of his mouth turned up in a half hearted smile. "Luckily, this is only the second time our group of heroes has had to go into crises mode. The only time we have had to use it since, was when Sky High got cloths lined and ended up bouncing to street level off the neighboring buildings. Tiger caught him, mind you, but he did have a compound fracture, which kept him out of the field for months. The poor dear nearly went stir crazy. But don't tell him I told you. It was before he became the King of Heroes, and it was a moment he would rather forget."

* * *

><p>"We actually expected it, which is why Mr. Tiger was being given treatment for…"<p>

The dialogue had been going downhill from the moment Barnaby had walked into the door. The lead physician on the case, a Dr. Lewis, wanted to explain Kotetsu's condition before Barnaby saw him in the ICU. Barnaby had other plans.

"Then why was he discharged!" Barnaby was starting to flush with frustration. There was clearly something he was missing. They were treating Tiger for this pulmonary something or other and then they let him out of their sights?

"No, you don't understand." The Dr. Lewis said in a soft tired voice but also with a very firm edge to it, "He was never discharged. He left quite against the judgment of his physicians. That said, once we were able to get him back into the hospital, we were able to get in contact with Dr. Saito and arrange for a short term medication plan. With the level of pain he was suffering, we were expecting to see him back on our doorstep before any serious complications occurred."

"So you are saying he did this to himself?" Barnaby still pretty sure his partner was an idiot. True at times Tiger could be a very intelligent, self sacrificing idiot, but he was still very much an idiot.

"To put it in blunt terms, yes."

* * *

><p>The doctors had said that pulmonary contusions were a very common type of injury for people who had been near explosion or who had received blunt chest trauma. They also mentioned the lung bruises, like any bruises took time to develop and heal. That is why Tiger had only started to develop symptoms hours after the battle.<p>

After hacking into the hospital's wifi network, Barnaby learned the facts that the doctors had conveniently not included when they explained the condition. Things like the fact that pulmonary contusion was the primary cause of death among people who aren't killed outright by an explosion. They also conveniently didn't mention that there was no cure. All the doctors could do was pump his partner's body full of drugs and oxygen, monitor fluids, and hope that the older hero would heal.

"Come on Old Man. We've just barely became a team." Barnaby glanced from the computer screen to Tiger, who was lying propped up on the bed beside him. Kotetsu failed to give the faintest reaction and Barnaby slowly let his eyes drift back to the laptop.

The stab of guilt that Barnaby was feeling reminded him of why his partner laying in a bed in the ICU. It was true that the exoskeleton suit he and Tiger wore had been specifically designed to absorb the concussive blasts which caused pulmonary contusions. It was made of a hard ceramic armor. A similar substance that NASA had once used to protect the Space Shuttle and most militaries used to protect their high end armored vehicles. Underneath the strong exoskeleton was layer upon layer of Teflon and Kevlar meant to distribute and cushion the force of impact. Below that was the skin tight bodysuits that were wired to regulate temperature and monitored their life signs. They were works of art designed to balance weight, mobility and protection.

If Jake had simply toyed with Tiger, like he had done during the other two hero fights, that suit would have protected him enough so that he would most likely already have been released from the hospital. Instead, Wild Tiger had somehow made it though Jake's defenses and gotten him angry - really angry. Instead of trying to prove his superiority by quickly ending the fight, the mad man had been out for blood. And not even the strongest manmade materials could survive the constant bombardment from expanding force fields, especially when each produced a force similar to several grams of C4. The suits exterior had been a pile of rubble that had crumbled once Kotetsu had been stripped from it. The destruction was so complete that Barnaby heard rumors that Dr. Saito actually wept when he had been given the bag of shards.

That said, the suit had done its job, because if Kotetsu had not have been wearing it he would have been dead the moment his power had run out. Unfortunately, all of that did not change the fact that Kotetus literally looked dead. In fact, he looked more dead than most actually dead people Barnaby had come across. Kotetus complexion had paled to the point he seemed to be competing with the sheets for the status of who could be whiter. And his partner was also not moving…at all. Tiger was one of those people who never seemed to be able to stop twitching to save their lives, but now he wasn't even breathing.

Barnaby had to correct the sentence, he was technically still breathing. Air was going in and out of his lungs, and oxygen and CO2 were being exchanged. They were just being exchanged without his partner's chest rising or falling. The two Jet Ventilators were injecting air at a rate which kept their assigned lung inflated to the proper pressure and then simply pushed air around the lungs. One website had called the process '_laminar flow_', and it apparently kept the little air sacks in the lungs called alveoli from collapsing. But even though the lack of movement was protecting his damaged organs, Barnaby wished he could at least see the rhythm of his breaths. He desperately wanted the visual proof that his partner was still there with him.

If having a pair of tubes stuffed down into your lungs wasn't enough scary enough, the bundle of cords sprouting from under Kotetus right collarbone unnerved him just as much. They called it a Swan-Ganz Catheter. The doctors had threaded it through his heart and apparently wedged it in the pulmonary artery, the artery that linked the heart and the lungs. The catheter was tipped with a number of sensors each of which was providing steady stream of numbers that were displayed on one of the many monitors above Koteus's bed. While Barnaby didn't know enough to fully understand what those numbers yet, they all pointed in the same direction. The person who they belong to was still in critical condition.

Remembering Fire Emblems statement when he had first awoke that morning Barnaby sighed to himself. "Sky High really needs to redefine his definition of 'much better'."

* * *

><p><em><strong>In Closing<strong>__- Thank you, thank you, thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Now it would be greatly appreciated if you push the review button and leave me with your thoughts. I am not above bribery and thus give previews of the next chapter to reviews. ;) _

_**Medical Term of the Week-**__ Pulmonary. Definition- Dealing with, affecting, or occurring in the lungs. Example- Tiger has pulmonary contusions, which means contusions (bruises) of the lungs. It can be combined with other terms such as, edema (fluid acumination), to indicate other conditions localized in the lungs. _

_**Next Week's Chapter-**__ Sky High claims an emergency, Blue Rose is not amused, and Rock Bison 'attempts' to keep everything under control, while all three try to find away around the cities lock down. _


	5. Chapter 4: It's an Emergency

**Author's Note-** Today is a chibby chapter because another full length chapter will be posted this weekend instead of mid-next week. Work took over my life and my work tends to bring you to places out of range of the internet. And it turns out these two chapters contrast. This chapter is meant to be humorous and the next chapter is deadly serious.

**Shout Out-** Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the readers out there, an extra special thank you to all of you reviewers, and my greatest gratitude to my beta Dr. Person.

**Disclaimer-** I still do not own Tiger and Bunny. Never will, but that doesn't stop me from writing fanfiction.

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><p><strong>Chapter Four- "It's an emergency"<strong>

"Karina. It's an emergency." Barnaby peeked over the cubical at Sky High in curiosity. Keith and Antonio were really not supposed to be at the Hero Headquarters, but they still had the dilemma of how to get Kaeda to her father without giving its secret. As no one really wanted to go back to their apartments, they had ended up at the team room instead. Nathan and Barnaby stopped a few hours later to drop off Keith's dog, which lead to the current conversation.

"Tiger is he…" Even on the small screen Barnaby could tell that Sky High's panicked voice had sent Karina into high alert.

"This has nothing to do with Tiger. Fire Emblem took John to the salon again and well he…He had them paint John's nails again."

"Who is John?" Karina's brow wrinkled in genuine confusion.

"John is Keith's dog." Antonio grumbled over Keith's shoulder. There was a pause - then Karina let loose.

"I can't believe you freaked me out because Fire Emblem painted your stupid dog's toenails!" Karina's voice was livid, which indicated Keith was not going to enjoy the consequences of his phone call in the near future.

"But I really, really need your help." Keith began. Karina hung up on him anyway. Keith continued to stare at the screen.

"Sky High, you asked me to doggysit Poochy-chan, and I thought I did a very good job." Fire Emblem fluttered his eyes in his best pout.

"His name is John not _poochy-chan_! And you are never ever, ever allowed to bring John to the Dog Salon again!" Keith spun in his seat to confront Nathan; unfortunately he didn't do intimating angry well.

"But now he looks so handsome." Nathan reached over and scrubbed the dog's belly. "Don't you look handsome Poochy-chan?"

"The last time Nathan had Keith's dog's nails done in pink glitter." Antonio smirked as he made his way to the couch Barnaby had claimed.

Keith's dog's nails were not pink this time, they were same blue/purple as Sky High's flight suit, but they were still covered in glitter. Barnaby propped his leg on the chair Fire Emblem had occupied just a few moments earlier, doing his best to keep his mouth shut. As Nathan and Keith argued about John's self-esteem, Antonio and Barnaby were barely managed to suppress their laughter. Finally Antonio got bored with the verbal banter and got up to tap Keith on the shoulder.

"Come on Sky High, we do have bigger fish to fry and we are not going to make any progress on an empty stomach. Let's pick up some proper food." Keith gave Antonio an unconvinced look. "Come on, I promise we will stop at the drug store and pick up some nail polish remover."

* * *

><p>"For the last time, we are not going to pick her up in a helicopter…Yes, Keith, I know you can fly one just fine normally, but right now you are not capable of walking in a straight line, which makes me doubt you are capable of flying in a straight line. And no, we are not going to test that…Oh Karina, maybe you can help me talk some sense into these two."<p>

It was possibly the longest sentence that Barnaby had ever heard out of Antonio, and it seemed that that was true for Karina as well, which was probably why she gave him such an odd look when she walked to the office. Barnaby stayed crashed on the couch hoping that no one would notice he had woken up. Luckily for him, everyone else seemed focused on Karina at the moment.

"If you are all here, who staying with Tiger?" She scanned the room and saw everyone but the two heroes still in the hospital.

"Origami." Nathan finished the stitch he was working on before looking up. "Should I use blue or green for the trim?"

"Green." Keith and Antonio replied together.

"What is that for?" Karina queried, trying to see what Nathan was working on.

"Nathan decided that it would make a good get well gift." Antonio commented.

"A Mad Bear?" Karina gave Nathan an odd look.

"With modifications." Nathan held up the tiny cap he was making for the stuff animals. "This way it will be an extra special collectable, though it looks like I won't be able to finish the cape tonight. It's almost 6 pm and it is time to relieve Origami. We wouldn't want to cut into his beauty sleep after all."

* * *

><p><strong>In Closing-<strong> Again sorry for the short chapter, but hopefully the humor made up for its lack of length. If you have an opinion on it or any other part of the chapter please, please, review. They encourage me to continue to writing for you.

**Medical Term of the Week- **Arrhythmia. Definition-An usual heart beat which is can be abnormally fast, slow, or uneven. Causes- Common causes are damage to the heart muscle, electrolytes imbalance, and heart attacks. Example-Tune in for the next chapter.

**This Weekend's Chapter-** Is not only much longer, but also involves much Tiger whumping. After all he is just begging for complications. How does Bunny react to all of thesis? The answer is badly.


	6. Chapter 5: Not a Heart Attack

_**Shout out-**__ The last chapter hit the big 50. Thank you, thank you, and thank you for all of you writing reviews. I am glad that you have enjoyed the story so far and I hope that this story will continue to tickle your imagination. Also Dicodin was the 50__th__ review which means they have the opportunity to create a character for the next story in the pipeline. Stay tuned, there will be more opportunities in the coming chapters. Also thank you to my beta Dr. Person, they were especially helpful in this chapter._

_**Disclaimer-**__ (Cap10 stares at the wall, stares at the floor, stares at the stuffed musk ox and orca sitting on the bed, then checks her email again.) Nope, still don't own Tiger and Bunny. (Cap10 gets back to writing fanfiction.)_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5- 'Not a Heart Attack!"<strong>_  
><em>

"What do you mean he is getting worse!" It was the middle of the night and Barnaby was not happy.

"I said just what I meant, Mr. Tiger's lung capacity deteriorated by 1.3% in the last 4 hours. And now he is developed an arrhythmia." The female doctor's voice was not shrill, was not shouting, but could be clearly heard over the shriek of alarms. "Nurse Durum, I need you to take blood sample to the lab and them run a potassium level stat. I want to rule out hemolysis of the first sample. As such I would like you to sit on them until they produce results."

"Yes Ma'am." The nurse said curtly then spun on her heals and was out the door.

"What is that suppose to mean?" Barnaby demanded as the nurse pushed passed him, but Dr. Peterson talked right over him.

"Okay people I need one amp of D50 with a second amp on standby as well as 10 units of Humulin regular insulin. Nelson, I also need all of sensor data downloaded to my diagnostics computer. I want you to run ANOVA and Monte Carlo model using the T-Normal, T-Stable, and T-Current files. I want heart rate interval estimations and comparisons as soon as they can be calculated." Dr. Peterson stated while flipping through Tiger's chart. Then her eyes then leveled with Barnaby. "It means that his heart is now beating irregularly, which may be a life threatening condition."

"But you are supposed to be making him better!" Four in the morning was not the best time to be having an argument with one of your partner's doctors, but being woken up by three separate alarms beeping on your partner's life-support machine was also less than ideal. And honestly, Dr. Peterson was currently infuriating him.

"I am sorry that you were under the incorrect assumption that we could 'make' pulmonary contusions go away. I cannot simply say a few magic words and kiss it better." This time Dr. Peterson didn't even bother to look in his direction as she worked a blood pressure cuff. She moved to make a note on the chart and nearly tripped over the intern. "Harrison. If you can't do something constructive get out of my way."

"But Dr. Pet…"

"Yes, Harrison." There was a slight note of warning in the doctor's voice.

"But shouldn't we wait for the lab…"

"You take a look at the ECG. We've got textbook peaked T waves, and a lack of P waves. Also according my biostatistics program indicates that there has been slight widening of the QRS complex when compared with his earlier readings. It is hyperkalmia."

"But don't other things…"

"We are not hunting zebras."

"But it could be an anterior cardiac ischemia!" Harrison stated emphatically.

"The man is not having a heart attack." Peterson's voice was flat.

"Heart attack!" Barnaby was barely following the medical terminology, but he did understand what a heart attack was and that it wasn't good.

"He is not having one." Dr. Peterson paused from the notes scribbling in the chart to glare in frustration at Barnaby and Harrison.

"But…" The intern almost whimpered.

"Harrison, I am not going have this argument! If you would bother looking at the patient you would realized that he is relatively young, he is extremely healthy for his age (well except for the battering that he took), and he is not having a heart attack! If you want to bring this up again once the patient is stabilized then so be it, but right now you will leave this room immediately." Dr. Peterson glanced over at Barnaby and added almost as an afterthought. "And while you're at it, get him out as well. Nurse Jenkins I need 80 mg of furosemide IV slow push as well as 750 mg of methylprednisolone in an IV piggyback…run it in over an hour. And Nurse Jenkins…watch his blood pressure while you are pushing the furosemide…I don't want him bottoming out! And please get an ETA on Dr. Lewis. Tell him if he doesn't get here soon he is going to have two more patients."

"Who are the other patients?" Harrison asked timidly.

"The two of you!" Peterson glanced over her shoulder into the corner where the nursing staff and the respiratory therapist had corralled the Barnaby and the intern to give them space to work.

"But I am his partner!"

"Sir, I honestly don't care who you are at the moment because I'm his doctor. You are in my hospital and in my hospital, doctor wins over partner…any questions?" Peterson spat back as she inserted a syringe into the IV port. "Harrison why are we giving the patient cortisone?"

"Because no one is allowed to die without a big dose of steroids?" Harrison said off hand and then instantly regretted it.

Dr. Peterson's patience was gone, and her tone showed it. "No, because steroids are the proper treatment for managing this condition."

"Then why didn't you give him steroids earlier!" Barnaby spat.

"Sir, I am in the middle of an extremely delicate balancing act." Barnaby opened his mouth again, but Dr. Peterson barely bothered him a glace as she continued to talk and studying one of the readouts. "I did not give him IV steroids earlier because it stops his bones from healing, and he has several broken ribs. Because we used Flovent, an inhaled steroid, that would help heal the lungs while minimizing the systemic steroid effect on the ribs." This time the intern tried to speak…he didn't get the chance. "Goodness sakes, I didn't go through medical school to be second guessed by every idiot in the room!"

A high pitched squeal came from another monitor.

"Now, do you understand why I am having you leave the room…" Peterson stopped and swore as she read the read out. "We have a rapid drop in blood pressure. Smith I need you to increase the volume on the IV to compensate. Does anyone know where Dr. Lewis is?"

"I am right here Dr. Peterson." The older man was somewhat out of breath and drop of water from the rain outside were still stuck to his disheveled hair. Dr. Lewis rapidly assessed the situation and jumped right in. "Lucy, please show the young man to the waiting room."

"Yes, Dr. Lewis." One of the nurses gently grabbed Barnaby by the arm, and this time he allowed himself be lead away.

* * *

><p>"He is stable, at least for the moment." Dr. Lewis settled into the chair next to Barnaby, then scrubbed his hand across his face making a faint scratching sound across the scruff growing on his chin. He took a breath, closed his eyes, and leaned his head back on the wall before continuing. "He has condition called hyperkalmia which caused his heart to beat in an uneven pattern we call an arrhythmia. It is a pretty common condition when someone has experienced a major trauma. Hyperkalmia occurs when you have too much potassium, and in this case the excess potassium was coming from cells that were damaged and are currently being broken apart."<p>

Dr. Lewis leaned forward and tried to explain things using his hands. "You see every cell has these APT reactions which the cell uses to break apart sugars to get energy, and in which you probably have no interest in what so ever. What Dr. Peterson did tonight was give your partner a combination of sugar and insulin which causes undamaged cells to temporarily absorb the potassium so it would stop negatively affecting the heart. Yes, that affect is temporary, but that is why we have given him a diuretic…for lack of a more elegant term, a medication which makes you pee, which will help him excrete some of the excess potassium and first thing tomorrow morning we will start him on dialysis to lower things further."

Barnaby simply grunted and continued to stare at the floor. So Dr. Lewis continued. "Sorry, I must apologize for her. I haven't had the chance to give her the talk about bedside manner today."

"What?" Barnaby glanced over at the older doctor.

"Dr. Peterson, I know that her bedside manner can be lacking at times. So I am apologizing for her."

"Then, why do you put up with someone like her." Barnaby spat.

"Because she is one of the best doctors on staff." Dr. Lewis stated calmly. "The desire to dedicate your adult life to the study of NEXT takes a unique type of personality. Dropping everything to lead a research team on the subject requires a person with an ability to think in unique and, sometimes unorthodox ways. Dr. Peterson is very good at what she does. Add in the fact she is a skilled NEXT in her own right, and we feel lucky enough to have her to accommodate her lack of social skills. And, to be honest she is has a fair bedside manner as long as we remind her every 24 hours or so, or as long as something really interesting doesn't cross her path."

"It still doesn't make me understand why you have her working here."

"We have her working here because she is the top researcher in the world about methods of controlling runaway NEXT abilities. Dr. Saito and Dr. Peterson were the ones that perfected the NEXT suppressant field based on what she produces naturally. The patents from that invention alone have supported the majority of the hospitals charity treatments for years now. The device itself has saved many more lives than the charity treatments ever will."

"Wait, you know Dr. Saito?" Barnaby was a bit stunned at the revelation.

"Of course," Lewis snorted a laugh. "Our area of research is so small that we pretty much know everyone worldwide, and honestly, there are only a few places where people with our focus can work, so we are often co-workers. If Dr. Saito hadn't transferred to Hero-TV he would still be here designing NEXT medical equipment."

"By why would he want to make a suppressant field?"

"Not all abilities are useful or interesting. In fact some of these abilities kill the NEXT. When we first found the super regeneration ability, many scientists believed that they had found the fountain of youth. Instead, within the decade they found the accelerated cell growth actually allowed cancer to run wild. 90% of the children born with that ability died before they turned 8. The suppression field has doubled their life expectancy."

Dr. Lewis continued, his passion for the subject could be heard in his voice. "But we are not stopping at trying to create a better suppression field. Dr. Peterson has hypothesized, that in addition to some having the ability to create a dampening field, that there may actually be someone out there that can cause another's ability to burn out. If we were able do that in the hospital, can you imagine the benefits it would have for society? Children with super regeneration would not have to die before their 16th birthday. Clinically insane NEXT would not have to be locked up in a suppressant field 24 hours a day to keep them from harming others or killing themselves."

"But you would be stripping them of something that is fundamental part of them."

"Yet you feel not guilt about cutting out an inflamed appendix, nor do you care about killing cancer cells..." Lewis argued softly. "Some of these abilities kill people just as surely as those other medical conditions."

"But…"

"Not all abilities are a 'sexy' as yours." Dr. Peterson said as she paused by the door that connected the waiting room with the rest of the hospital. Barnaby had been so absorbed in the conversation he didn't even notice her enter the room. "Not everyone wants to be NEXT."

"Dr. Peterson?" Dr. Lewis raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry for interrupting." She rested a hand on the back of her neck. "I need to get these samples to the lab, and then try to model what just happened. It is going to be a long night, so I better go get things started."

Barnaby eyes followed her out of the room, now seeing the two doctors as two exhausted human beings who had been dragged out of bed to save another. It was a different light that he had not previously considered.

"I know you really don't like her. But she also spends pretty much every night trying to save people; she just does it in a different way. As such, you will start treating her - and the rest of the medical staff - with the respect they deserve instead of acting like a whinny overgrown four year old every time you don't like a report." The older man got an almost wicked look in his eyes. "Fail to do this, and I will personally kick your tail out of my hospital."

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><p><em><strong>In Closing-<strong>__ So did you enjoy it? Do you have comments? Did you catch a mistake that I made? Guess what you can tell me about it using that pretty review button. Also special cookies for anyone who gets the Harrison reference._

_**Medical Term of the Week-**__ Hemolysis. Definition- The breakdown of red blood cells often once the blood has been removed from the body. Often causes blood samples to have abnormally high phosphorus readings. Cause- Symptom of some disease, but usually cause by not running a blood sample quick enough or drawing the sample from the patient improperly. Example-Dr. Peterson was trying to rule out the possibility of hemolysis as the source of the high phosphorus readings in the first blood sample by having a second sample run._

_**Next Week's Chapter-** With massive damage to the city it took all of the heroes' ingenuity to get Kaede to her father's side. The order to keep Tiger's secret, also require a fair bit creative. In the process Kaede discovers why her father rarely speaks of his coworkers…They are a bit insane._


	7. Chapter 6: Better than okay

_**Authors Note**__- I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is twofold. The first is the fact it has taken me so long to post. I have lots of excuses (ranging from my computer dying and taking the end of the story with it, to the fact I am a grad student writing a thesis), but the excuses don't change the fact that it has taken a few months for me to get back posting. I let you guys down, but hopefully the end of the story will be good enough for you to forgive me. That brings me to the other part of the bad news this story is close almost to an end. On to the good news…there was another time skip at the end of the series. As such I have been working on a second Tiger and Bunny story to help explain why Kotetsu comes back entitled Endgame…it involves the rest of the heroes getting it to hot water with a secretive criminal mastermind called the Chess Master. More information soon._

_**Disclaimer-**__Still don't own them…_

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><p>Chapter 6-Better Than Okay<p>

Being heroes, the group knew all about how to move people in unusual and unique ways, but in the end the simplest method of getting Kotetsu's family into the city turned out to also be the only practical one. Antonio had been the one to point out that the ferry was still functional, and was instantly assigned the responsibility to make the needed travel arrangements. Unfortunately, travel arrangements were turning out to be the least of his problems.

"Dragon Kid, you will be Rock Bison's child." Keith was stating emphatically as he waved his hand at the chart he had made up. Pao-Li raised her hand. "Yes, Dragon Kid?"

"But we don't look anything like each other." Pao-Lin looked at him with a mixture of confusion and annoyance.

"Um…You are adopted." Keith faltered a bit, before vigorously continuing. "Yes, Pao-Lin you shall be Rock Bison's adopted daughter."

"Sky High, you do realize that I have been friends of the family since before Kaede was born. Wouldn't it be odd if I suddenly had a daughter?"

"She can be your long lost daughter who has been searching for years to find her true father instead…"

After fifteen minutes of listening to Keith's relationship chart, it was became clear that this was a task that should not have been left to a man who had been watching all of the latest soap operas while he was recuperating. Karina stepped in and was doing a much better job of coming up with plausible back stories.

Ivan became a college student that Kotetsu helped rescue on the bridge. Pao-Lin would be Ivan's very grateful half sister. Keith was the security guard at the building that Kotetsu worked at, while Karina became Kotetsu's boss's secretary. Antonio would continue to be Uncle Antonio.

"And what do I do?" Nathan batted his lashes at Karina.

"Whatever part you want, as long as you manage to keep Barnaby away from Tiger and Kaede during her visit?"

"Any role?" Nathan face spread into the type of smug grin that one would expect from a Cheshire cat that had just swallowed a canary and suddenly everyone else in the room was very grateful they were not Barnaby. After all the man wasn't even at the meeting so he couldn't put up a defense.

* * *

><p>It took a moment for Barnaby to discover that he had once again fallen asleep in the very uncomfortable hospital chairs. It took another to realize what had woken him. The machines hooked up to his partner were giving off a high pitch screech. Panic almost made his heart stop. Then a doctor placed a kind hand on his shoulder<p>

"It is okay." Dr. Lewis stated in a soothing tone. "The alarms are a good sign. It means the Mr. Tiger is fighting the vent. He is trying to breathe on his own."

"Does that mean that the tubes can come out?" Barnaby asked blinking the sleep from his eyes and trying to process the new information.

"Maybe." Dr. Lewis reply was neutral.

Dr. Peterson stepped in with some additional information. "As a patient like this heals, we try to have them come out sedation once a day. We use these 'sedation vacations' to monitor the patient's natural breathing and to communicate with them. By monitoring them we are able to determine if they are strong enough to switch to another type of assisted breathing and he is coming out of sedation, so he is going to be disoriented for the next few moments."

"It might help to talk to him." Dr. Lewis prompted while Dr. Peterson's eyes remained glued to the readouts.

Barnaby did his best to produce a constant stream of small talk. He spoke about what the other heroes were up to, what the weather was like, what steps the city was taking to repair the damage Jake had done. Then, after what seemed like an eternity, one brown eye slid half open. It was unfocused but was defiantly looking at him. Kotetsu lips tightened around the tubes in his mouth. It took a moment for Barnaby to fully process what he partner was trying to do, but once he did he quickly tried keep Tiger from hurting himself.

"Don't talk, you have a tube down your throat…well two tubes down your throat…You're in the hospital." Kotetsu still looked a bit confused but his lips stilled and the two doctors got to work.

"Old Man you are never, ever allowed to scare me like that again." Barnaby got a half arched eyebrow as a response. "You know what I mean. You are not allowed to try and die on me or even look like you are going to die on me."

"It is alright Mr. Brookes, Mr. Tiger is well on the mend now." Dr. Lewis tried to calm Barnaby's ruffled feathers. "That said I am going to need you to leave the room. I need to run a number of tests and the sooner Mr. Tiger can get back to sleep."

At the doctors last statement Kotetsu got a pained expression.

"Don't do that." Kotetsu gave a glare that seemed to be asking Barnaby why got to escape while Kotetsu got stuck with the doctors.

"Yes, I know you are a hero, but that does not change the fact that you managed to get yourself pounded in the ground and now need to deal with the consequences. Plus I need to make some phone calls and I know that you not being able to interject snide comments would drive you nuts."

Once Barnaby had made it out into the hall he flipped open his cell phone and started the first of a series of phone calls. "Hello, Antonio?...Yeah everything is okay, better then okay in fact…He woke up."

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><p><em><strong>In Closing-<strong>__ I know this is a shorter chapter, but a longer one is on its way. Any comments you have to make the writing better would be greatly appreciated; your feedback really means a lot. Also do you have you any preferences when it comes to the up coming story?_

_**Medical Term of the Post**__- Sedation Vacation. Definition- The stoppage of IV sedatives until a patient is able to obey commands or are full awake. Use as a tool to identify the patients level of breathing and allow critically ill or injured patients to be weaned from the ventilator. _

_**In the Next Chapter**__- The intubation tube comes out, the still healing Kotetsu to get lectured by family, and Barnaby dragged shopping._


	8. Chapter 7: Only five minutes

_**Shout out**__- Well sadly this story is coming to an end, but before it closes I need to give out one final round of shout outs. First, thank you to my beta Dr. Person. You really did help round out the edges of this story. Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed this story and to the 100 plus of you who put this story on your alerts. It really helped encourage me to keep writing, even when my computer ate the story. But most of all thank you to everyone who has read this story. I honestly hope that this story was a fun for you to read as it was for me to write. _

_**Disclaimer-**__ While I would love to own a successful series like Tiger and Bunny, if I did Dr. Peterson would have already showed up your TV._

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><p><span>Chapter 7-Only Five Minutes<span>

It took three days to make the arrangements need to get Kotetsu's family into the city. By that time wounded tiger had been weaned of the vent and was well on the mend. In fact, he was feeling good enough to appreciate some quality family time. Unfortunately Kotetsu's family visit was currently complicating Barnaby's life.

On the other end of Sternbild City Barnaby's day had been…interesting… Nathan had thought the best way to keep Barnaby away from the hospital and thus away from Kaede was to take him shopping for apartment décor. Barnaby had agreed to it thinking it a practical idea. What Nathan had failed to mention was that he considered said shopping trip to be a "date". He also failed to mention that Nathan planed on going on this "date" in drag.

But in true Nathan nature, he had not only shown up to Hero TV headquarters in drag, he had shown up in incredibly flamboyant drag. The other heroes did have to admit that Nathan had the legs to at least pull off the short white, pleather dress with face fur trim accented, but the shoulder length pink wig was a bit much. The fact that the whole outfit was finished off with knee length, sparkly purple boots with three inch heels had the unfortunate effect of making him look like a hooker.

At first sight, Antonio had started laughing, but Barnaby didn't quite know what to say. Keith had asked who 'she' was. Luckily, Karina had been able to convince Nathan that he should leave women's fashion to women, and to change up his outfit a bit. When the two had left headquarters, Nathan was still dressed in drag and wearing a bright pink wig, but at least he was wearing a semi professional looking skirt and jacket.

What followed was 6 hours of shopping with Nathan giving a running commentary of the various designers who had created each item they looked at, during which Nathan insisted on purchasing him a new bed spread. Nathan insisted it matched Barnaby's eyes, a comment which honestly kind of creeped him out. The only thing Barnaby ended up buying was a dish set for six. He only bought those because it was pretty clear that the other heroes were probably going to stop by his house a lot more now that they all knew where his apartment was.

The sun was setting by the time Nathan finally let him get back to the hospital. Once there, it didn't take much time to check in with the nurse's station. The hospital staff warned him that Kotetsu might already be asleep, and that if he was, Barnaby would do nothing to wake him up. But they need not have worried. When Barnaby walked into the room he found Kotetsu very much awake and fiddling with the nasal catheter.

"You probably shouldn't do that?" Exhausted Barnaby sank into the chair next to his partner's bed. It was one of the only times in Barnaby's existence when he was actually glad to sit down in one of the slightly wobbly hospital chairs.

"What are you, the nurse?" Kotetsu groaned, his voice gravely from recent use and dry from supplemental oxygen. "Because if you are, I want the better looking one back."

Barnaby slugged him in the shoulder soft enough to prevent any additional damage, but hard enough for to be real.

"Ouch. What was that for?" The injured hero rubbed his shoulder, while trying to give his best 'I am hurt' expression.

"For being an idiot."

"I am not an idiot." Kotetsu whined.

"Really. Do I need to start listing? Because I can…" Barnaby stated flatly.

"Okay. Fine. I guess I deserve it." It was clear that Koutsu had just backed down, so Barnaby decided to change the subject.

"How was your visit with your family?"

"Good…Tiring…" Koutsu admitted, and then broke into a tired smile "I think Kaede forgave me for not making it home."

"I think you had a pretty good excuse." Barnaby stretched and yawned.

"It is hard for her." Kotetsu eyes glanced across one of the many photos of his daughter he always kept close, then his eyes looked distant. "Kaede hates hospitals. She has ever since she watched her mother die."

"You never really told me about her."

"Neither of us speaks of her much, kind of like how you don't speak about your parents. Kaede and I, and my mother of course, we have each other, so we choose not to dwell on who we don't have."

"You are a good father." Barnaby said softly.

Kotetsu gave a small disgusted laugh. "Barnaby, I am a terrible father. Protecting things is the only thing that I am good at. A safer world is the only thing I can really offer Kaede." He looked up from the bed sheet into his partners eyes. "But to be honest, you guys have also become part of my family. You guys are also part of the reason I fight, and all of you are worth every bump and bruise along the way. Unfortunately, to make the world better I must put myself, my life in danger. I am terrified of the very real possibility that someday in the future I will not move quite fast enough, and I will leave my daughter without someone to comfort her tears."

"Believe me; I am not going to allow that to happen."

"I don't think you can really make that promise."

"Don't you trust me?" Hurt bleed through his tone.

Kotetsu chuckled without humor. "No…it isn't that. Like you said earlier, it is me I don't trust."

Barnaby opened his mouth to speak, but Nurse Henderson stepped in first. "Well visiting time is over. Our patient needs to get his rest."

"Can't I stay just a little longer?" Barnaby almost pleaded.

"We already bent the rules to let you stay as long as you did. The patient needs to sleep so they can heal properly." The nurse gave a soft but stern smile that indicated that her position wasn't going to change.

A glance at his watch showed that it really was getting late. "Sorry, I guess I kept you up past your bedtime…and we wouldn't want to lengthen your stay because you got sick from lack of sleep would we? I will be back first thing tomorrow, though."

"I am not going anywhere." Kotetsu half heartedly joked.

With one final smile Barnaby turned, leaving Kotetsu in the soft glow of monitors, listening to the hum and hiss of various machines. Alone Kotetsu façade cracked.

"Barnaby, Superheroes are not immortal." Kotetsu said to the darkness that surrounded him. "And I only have five minutes…only five minutes separating me from those I civilians I fight so hard to rescue."

* * *

><p>It was just over two weeks since Jake's terrorism had swept panic across the Sternbild, and things were just starting to get back to normal. In fact, Barnaby was returning to start work again tomorrow. It would be light work, mainly paperwork and interviews, but it was work. He also had an incentive to be satisfied with staying in the office. Dr. Peterson had given him the lecture that if he tried to chase after any criminals the first week she would personally drag him back to the hospital and strap him to a chair for the remaining week…He honestly didn't doubt she would try to.<p>

Barnaby was pushing the primary reason he didn't mind the office stint, in a wheelchair. After a week in the ICU, a second one in a regular bed in the hospital, and finally Kotetsu was starting to look and behave like normal. In fact, according to nursing staff, he was becoming a downright pest.

The doctors had stated that his condition would be delicate for the next few weeks. His lungs and ribs still had a lot of healing to do and that healing would take time…at least six weeks of time. There was a long list of things he was not supposed to do until he was better. Some of the forbidden activities, like swimming, made Barnaby laugh because he knew that Kotetsu sank like a stone in water on the best days. Others, like swinging from buildings, lifting, and generally being a hero, Barnaby took a lot more seriously, primarily because he knew Kotetsu would actually try to do those things. Luckily, Kotetsu had friends who would step in when wounded hero's brain decided to take a coffee break.

The doctors had also stated no bike for at least another month, which is why they were using Antonio's truck at the moment. Barnaby was going to start shopping for a vehicle tomorrow, as it wouldn't take long for Kotetsu to insist he was fine and could walk everywhere like he normally did. The problem was he wasn't fine right now. He still got winded going up the smallest flights of stairs. Barnaby was planning on driving him to and from all of his appointments, while he worked overtime protecting the idiot 'old man' from his own stupidity. It would be a challenge, but Barnaby was starting to like challenges.

While Barnaby had taken on the responsibility making sure that Kotetsu got to where he needed to be when he needed to be there, Antonio was in charge of providing housing. At first Barnaby had fought the idea, but Fire Emblem had pointed out that Barnaby didn't have a guest bedroom and Kotetsu apartment complex lacked an elevator. The arrangement meant Barnaby would not be able to visit his partner as much as he would have liked, but Kotetsu was so thrilled to spend some extra time with his old friend that Barnaby didn't have the heart to argument against it.

Barnaby did have to admit that having Kotetsu stay with Antonio did have some benefits. Because of his neck injury, Antonio was banned from the office an extra week so he would be able to keep an eye on Kotetsu. Plus Antonio lived closer to Karina's house, which would allow for her random checks to make sure the bachelor pad was remaining alcohol free.

It was going to be a long month and a half. Especially because he was going to play the lone hero for most of it, but Barnaby could live with that…After all, he still had a partner.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Medical Term of the Post<strong>__- ICU. Definition-Intensive Care Unit, a medical unit specifically designed to provide care for patients who are high risk of rapid life threatening complications. ICUs generally have a more nurses to patients, more monitoring and life support systems, and a lot less privacy. Example-A good portion of this story took place in the ICU of the hospital._

_**Author's Closing Notes-**__ Well welcome to the end of the story. Again I want to thank you for reading and would welcome any comments you have. I would especially welcome them because they can help me make the next Tiger and Bunny story entitled Endgame even better. Expect that mystery to come out in the coming months. But to hold you over I did write couple of scenes for this story that I pulled out because of flow. They are not perfectly polished, but I do plan on passing on some of those scenes to those who have reviewed. If you would like to read them scenes and but don't want to review pm me and will pass them along. Think of them as extra special thank you cookies._


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